Manoa’s Meritorious Teachers

Michael CheangCenter on Aging

Michael Cheang is an assistant professor in the Center
on Aging in the John A. Burns School of Medicine. He believes that students come to class with their
own life experiences and each contributes to the learning process. He sees the
classroom as a community of learning—he learns from his students just as
they learn from him.

Identifying with Paolo Freire’s notion of education as a means of empowering
people, Cheang asks one question when explaining a concept, "when working
with families and communities, how can you use this concept to help them to
help themselves?"

Cheang believes in life-long learning and is involved in community activities
and service. He was invited to sit on the editorial board of the ASA—s
Generations journal and the Honolulu Committee on Aging. Cheang shares his teaching
skills and is a highly regarded provider of in-service training for local service
providers.

Cheang grew up in Singapore and lived a significant portion of his adult life
in Hawaii. He has traveled extensively across Asia, the U.S. and Europe.
The insights Cheang gained from these travels, combined with his personal experiences
in Hawaii and Singapore, give him a strong sense of awareness of Asia-Pacific-Hawaii-related
issues and concerns.

The University of Hawaii at Manoa Chancellor’s Citation for Meritorious Teaching recognizes Manoa faculty members who have made significant contributions to teaching and student learning.